Lexington County, SC Outdoor Lighting: Light Trespass & Shielding (2026)

Section 24.52, Limitation of Illumination, part of the Light and Glare standards adopted in full by Ord. No. 23-17 on June 25, 2024, provides that any land use activity producing light from a non-mobile source, which the ordinance specifically extends to cover the storage of inoperable vehicles under outdoor lighting, cannot cause illumination in excess of 1.0 foot candle when measured in a Restrictive Development District or across the protected property line of an adjacent grandfathered residential use. Section 24.51 defines a foot candle technically as the illumination at all points 1 foot distant from a uniform point source of 1 candlepower, the standard unit light-measurement devices use to check compliance.

The limit is measured at the boundary, the protected property line itself, not at the fixture, so a bright light close to a building interior is not a violation unless its measured spillover crosses that line above 1.0 foot candle. The standard sits alongside Section 24.53, Limitation of Glare, and Section 24.54, which separately bans flashing, blinking, strobe, or pulsating lights outright in every district (with an exception for seasonal decorations). Because these are zoning performance standards, the Zoning Administrator enforces them through the permitting process and can require corrective shielding, redirection, or lower-wattage fixtures for a use found to exceed the 1.0 foot candle cap at the line.